Know Thyself; Book Review

I was very happy to have received this book.  Between moving 5 times in 5 years while having a very demanding professional life, getting married and then having a son, my life became very disorganized.

When you add in trying to merge two households and not having the time to declutter.  Well, you know it's a recipe for disaster.

Know Thyself: The Imperfectionist's Guide to Sorting Your Stuff  by Lisa Lawmaster Hess was a great book.  Sometimes when I read organizational books, I'm left saying, "Well, that works if your brain works that way, but if my brain worked that way, I wouldn't need to read this book."

The first step in organization isn't really organization- it's decluttering.  It's simplifying.  It's getting rid of those things that aren't really relevant or useful anymore.  Spiritually I think that working with others who are not as blessed as I am has really helped me to let go of some of my stuff.  Why  hold on to some pillows I got from Ikea years ago that just aren't my style anymore?  Giving them to an organization that helps the homeless and victims of domestic violence seems like  a blessing on both sides.  I had furniture that someone gave to me in college and now I can give it to someone else going off to college- pay it forward.

I come from a profession who though we are type A, we are overall very disorganized.  We have to manage multiple crises at once and generally don't have the time to keep a clean, neat desk, or even a focused thought.  One of my colleagues came to me for advice on setting up a small business because, "You're the most organized vet I know."  My husband thought this was a huge joke.  When I informed him that I am actually fairly organized compared to colleagues, he decried, "Well that is really sad for the profession."  My husband is not perfect either, but we seem to compliment each other in our strengths and weaknesses.  Lisa Lawmaster Hess is the perfect author for this book, with a history of being a retired elementary school counselor and an adjunct professor of psychology, she understands the relationship components behind organization.

I remember reading the Konmari book and thinking, "That's great if you live by yourself".  There's no way you can just start throwing out other people's stuff.  That doesn't work.  We all love and have importance attached to different things and it's not always apparent.  We also all have different ways our brains work.  I remember a roommate commenting that I "flowed like a river" and so did my stuff.  Instead of suggesting you become someone you aren't, Lisa recommends you work with what you have.  From the color of containers to the type of containers to your system, she first gives you a psychological profile of your "personal organizational style".  Are you a "Drop and Run".  Or a "Cram and Jam" or an "I know I put it somewhere".  (I found I'm a mix of a couple).  She discusses decluttering and adds a spiritual element to it.  Each chapter begins with a biblical verse and ends with a prayer.

She talks about organizing obstacles, "motivation (or the lack thereof)",  warring styles, seasons of the year and seasons of life.  There is also a whole section on organizing with kids and making changes that are sustainable.

I enjoyed this book and found some helpful tips.  More importantly it gave me some support in knowing I don't have to be a natural organizer to make some progress.  God didn't make me to be disorganized, He gave me, my husband and my son our own unique gifts and there is a way we can use them together to have a little sanity.
 
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